Botafogo surprises PSG, sends a message to Europe and puts Atlético in danger.

The Club World Cup seems determined to send a message to European football : don't think you're so good. After Inter Miami 's victory against Porto , which followed Madrid 's draw with Al Hilal and Inter 's draw against Monterrey , PSG , winners of the last Champions League , were defeated by Botafogo , eighth in the Brasileirao and champions of the Brazilian league and the Libertadores in 2024. A goal from Igor Jesus destroyed Luis Enrique's men, sent a message to Europe and jeopardized Atlético de Madrid 's qualification for the last 16, who will need to thrash the Brazilians on the final day.

Botafogo leads the group with six points, three for PSG and Atlético Madrid, and none for the Seattle Sounders . Since only the goal difference between the two teams would be taken into account in the event of a draw, excluding Seattle, Botafogo currently has a lead of +1, PSG +3, and Atlético Madrid -4, Simeone 's team will only advance to the round of 16 if they win by three or more goals in the final matchday, specifically against the Brazilians.

It was a strange match for Luis Enrique 's team, far from the level they showed in their debut against Atlético. The Spanish coach made up to four changes from the starting eleven used a few days ago, and the team didn't take well to it. Without Dembélé , who was injured, Luis Enrique replaced Fabián, Neves, Nuno Mendes, and Marquinhos to make way for Zaïre-Emery, Mayulu, Lucas Hernández, and Beraldo.

Kvaratskhelia , incisive, created danger early on, but PSG's play began to fizzle out as the minutes ticked by. Botafogo's intense, well-organized defense proved impossible for the French, and the Brazilians began to believe in their chances in the match. Allan, formerly of Napoli, dominated the midfield with authority, and Artur, an interesting player, almost created goals on several occasions. In the 38th minute, Artur himself initiated the scoring, Savarino found Igor Jesus in the gap, and Botafogo's number 99 evaded Pacho and Beraldo and beat Donnarumma with some luck after passing the ball to Pacho.

PSG dominated the game, with 74% possession, but it was a lackluster dominance. Vitinha tried to put the game to his advantage, but lacked the clarity of other nights, and Botafogo stuck to their plan: hold the wall at the back and counterattack.

Luis Enrique 's four substitutions in one go didn't change the script of the match either, and the French only came close when Beraldo's goal was ruled out for offside by Kvaratskhelia. The Georgian recovered his momentum in the closing stages, but individual performances couldn't save PSG from a shock night at the Club World Cup.

Luis Enrique's team has an easy match against the Seattle Sounders on the final day, so their qualification is not in danger, but this defeat shows that the team is human and is not performing as consistently as one would have imagined.

The Parisian defeat leaves Atlético Madrid reeling , needing a minor miracle against Botafogo, who have been impressive so far. The Red and Whites need three goals against a team that is still struggling.